


Her Theory, His Death.

by Hamster_Pyro



Category: Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School
Genre: Alternate Universe, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-02 02:05:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15786720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamster_Pyro/pseuds/Hamster_Pyro
Summary: A short one-shot where Juzo Sakakura does not make it in time to stop Makoto Naegi from committing suicide under the influence of the Despair Video. Heavy spoilers for DR3 Future Arc Episodes 9-12, and Hope Arc.





	Her Theory, His Death.

“Kirigiri-san, I’m coming.”

A swift stab. A blood-curdling scream. A resounding thud. An agitated scoff.

 

Kyoko squinted as her eyes adapted to the sudden change in brightness. She had just survived a lethal dose of the NG Code’s Poison and had been revived from her comatose by the Ultimate Nurse, and now stood in the doorway of what once consisted of an exit, now a pile of rubble. Even after the comatose, her keen senses hadn’t dulled, as her ears perked up to a mixed chatter consisting of familiar voices from a nearby tent. _My friends_. As best she could, her somewhat wobbly legs carried her, doing so quietly in a bid to not attract attention from the tent. Glancing inside, Byakuya, Aoi, and Yasuhiro had crowded around an object, seemingly lost in thought as sound played from it. A laptop, most likely.

“Pardon my intrusion, but may I ask for the time?”

Kyoko’s amused voice was met with heads turning simultaneously, a pair of audible gasps and the click of a tongue filling the crowded tent. An awkward silence filled the enclosed space, quickly to broken by Aoi.

“Kyoko-chan?! How are you here?”

“Gh-Gh-Ghos-s-st!”

“Shut your trap, you blundering fool. Before I do it for you.”

 _Byakuya, Aoi, and Yasuhiro. Where’s Makoto?_ Kyoko surmised, scanning the rest of the tent as the bickering went on for a while. The tent was of an average military’s standard, an olive tent cloth draped over some metal scaffolding. A lone chair and table stood in the center of the otherwise empty room, a laptop sitting on the tabletop.

“Where’s Naegi-kun?”

Instantaneous silence. The tension in the room was suffocating. Byakuya turned his head away, Yasuhiro fiddled with his tied-up hair, Aoi’s fists curled.

“He’s dead. Asahina, explain it to her.”

 _What? Surely my ears playing tricks on me?_ Kyoko observed as Aoi stepped forward, fishing for something from her back pocket. Aoi’s eyes had tears welling up, attempting to suppress them but to no avail. Out came a leather-cased notebook, Kyoko’s to be exact. Aoi was mouthing some words, but no sound was to be heard. Passing the notebook over, Aoi couldn’t hold them back anymore, tears streaming down as Byakuya took a step forward, his face unreadable. Yasuhiro pulled her back, offering an embrace which Aoi took in gratefully, hysterical cries muffled by his clothes.

“Your theory about the murders in the headquarters. Naegi volunteered himself to test out your theory, which he reasoned was the only way he could continue the hope you entrusted to him. Metal wires that restrained him were broken off, a Monokuma knife implanted in his heart, right in front of a Monokuma monitor. Sakakura severed his arm to avoid the sleeping drug’s effects, in an attempt to catch the murderer in the act, only to arrive at the sight of Naegi’s corpse. With Munakata, Mitarai and Asahina unconscious in a separate room and Sakakura being the first witness, your theory was confirmed. An autopsy by Tsumuki revealed that Naegi’s death happened within an hour of the stab, the cause of death is deemed to be exsanguination from penetrating injury to the heart. He could not be saved.”

Leaving it at that, Byakuya scowled in anger, his glance shifting to the side. Kyoko’s head hung low, the lilac fringe covering her misted eyes. She felt a flurry of emotions, one being the most predominant.

_Despair._

_Her subordinate. Her most trusted ally. Her lover. Dead._

Flipping the notebook, it landed on the page with a few sketches and messy scribbling. The same theory had saved the rest, but it left Makoto dead. The feeling of regret surged in her heart, how she wished she could turn back time. Tears fell, the pages absorbing each drop thoroughly, pen markings starting to smudge. Turning to the next page, what was once supposedly empty now had a small paragraph of words.

_Kirigiri-san, you died for me. You entrusted me with your hope. I’m not even sure why I’m writing this, you won’t ever have the chance to see this, but in order to carry on your hope, I will test this theory for you. In the unlikely situation that I may die, I will never regret my decision. You willingly gave up your life for me, and I will do so too. I will carry our hope together once I escape, and spread it to the rest of the world. I wish I had the chance to tell you, but I greatly treasured the time we spent together, and our memories will be etched in me until the day I die. Wherever you are, I know you are watching over me, and I  know that you would want me to move on. Perhaps this is a way for me to cope with such a major loss, but I will never give in to despair, no matter the situation. I will make it out alive, for us._

She drew in a ragged breath, attempting to recompose herself from Makoto's message. Suddenly, two pairs of arms wrapped around her, to which she flinched instinctively in response. Aoi’s and Yasuhiro’s bodies pressed against her own, their own faces red from crying. Kyoko lifted her head, her gaze matching Byakuya’s. Genuine sympathy radiated from his eyes, albeit the emotionless face. It was heart-wrenching for all of them. The one who saved them all in Hope’s Peak was now dead. She returned the embrace, her own tears now rolling down her rosy cheeks. The only sound emitting from the tent was light sobbing, as though the atmosphere shushed itself as it mourned his death.

 

Kyoko stood alone solemnly, a large bouquet of lilies in her arms. Headstones stood scattered in a secluded graveyard, a zone allocated and constructed by the Future Foundation for victims of the Final Killing Game. It was thoughtful on their part, she had to admit, to include the victims of the First Killing Game. Walking over to each headstone, a lily was left on its top, each name popping into her head.

_Jin Kirigiri._

_Sayaka Maizono._

_Leon Kuwata._

_Chihiro Fujisaki._

_Mondo Oowada._

_Kiyotaka Ishimaru._

_Hifumi Yamada._

_Taeko Yasuhiro._

_Sakura Oogami._

She turned to face the last grave. It was specially constructed for Makoto Naegi, a statue constructed in recognition of his contributions as the Ultimate Hope, his unwavering optimism engraved into the radiant smile that adorned his face. She reached into her leg pouch, retrieving a gift Makoto had given to her back in Hope’s Peak. It held so much sentimental value, an item that Yui Samaidare had also given her back in her budding days as a detective. Both gifting parties, now dead. _A rose in vitro_. Leaving it at the foot of the statue, her mind engulfed by the deep thoughts that followed the actions.

 _Makoto Naegi. You were willing to die to save others. Not once, but twice. Once for me, the second time to save the rest of the survivors. To this day, I will never truly understand how you remain so optimistic no matter the situation, but some things are best kept a mystery. Thank you for the times we had. In the two years of_ memories _we had lost, I am certain we had gotten along well, proven by the memories we created in the First Killing Game and Future Foundation. There are so many things I wish I could tell you, but the main thing would be how grateful I am for having met you, to have had spent so much time with you. I..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the shifting of grass at the base of the statue, a blade handle appearing before her eyes. A man stood beside her, a white coat donning the slim and tall stature of him. Kyoko still bore a grudge for Kyosuke, the things he did to Makoto while she was in a state of comatose was unforgivable in her eyes. She gritted her teeth soundlessly, giving no attention to him apart from a question.

“Munakata-san, with what intentions do you come here?”

“To pay my respects to Sakakura, Yukizome, and Naegi. And to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“I had not expected you to be here. My initial intention was to pay my respects to the three I had stated. Seeing that you are here, I believe you deserve an apology and some explanation while you were... indisposed, to say the least.”

“...”

“I had known of your NG Code. I mocked Naegi on how his hope and lukewarm platitudes had led to your assumed death, and challenged him on our philosophies of hope. His hope was pure. He wanted to create hope by spreading it, unlike my questionable methods of wanting to eliminate all despair. In our battle, he never gave in. He tried his absolute best in correcting my ways of creating hope. I had almost killed him, how I rejected his hope, delivering blow after blow in an outrage. Being in despair was not an excuse. If he had caved in at any point in time, I believe none of us would be here. I was partly responsible for the construction of the construction of Future Foundation’s secret headquarters. If I had scrutinized the building’s construction instead of simply leaving it to Kazuo, Naegi would still be alive. The debt I owe to him is something I cannot repay. Instead, I can only do my part in eliminating any remaining Remnants of Despair. With that, I can only apologize. To you. To him. I’m aware that you will not forgive me, but I will still try.”

His body had turned to face Kyoko’s, a hand outreached to her.

“The things you did to Naegi-kun will always be unforgivable in my eyes. You held an unfair trial without allowing him to reason on his actions, which would have ended in a death sentence. You had sent him into a state of which he was clinging to life, even after how much he tried to help you. In fact, I still bear a grudge for the things you did. But...”

Kyoko sent a glance towards Makoto’s head, allowing a minute smile to creep onto her face, before returning it to it’s cold and familiar state. Turning her own body to face Kyosuke’s, a gloved hand met the bandaged one.

“I believe Naegi-kun would have forgiven you. He forgave me immediately even after I sent him to his execution back in Hope’s Peak, and he would wish for me pass on his forgiveness. While I cannot forgive you completely, I will learn to forgive you. On Naegi-kun’s name.”

Leaves rustled in the cool breeze. A crow’s caw resonated. The two figures exchanged a firm handshake, before looking back to Makoto’s statue. There was hope in the world, after all.


End file.
